Result for
Topic: Testing and Treatment
April 24, 2020
The production and clinical implications of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies
Hu et al report on the production of specific IgM and IgG antibodies among 221 confirmed COVID-19 patients, among which were 181 mild and moderate cases and 40 severe cases. The study records the concentration peak of SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG antibodies every 3 days post symptom onset and finds that, that although antibody testing…
National Consumption of Antimalarial Drugs and COVID-19 Deaths Dynamics: An Ecological Study
This ecologic modeling study compares the dynamics of COVID-19 daily deaths in countries using anti-malaria drugs as a treatment from the start of the epidemic versus countries that do not. The authors report major differences in death rates, with countries using or producing chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine on a massive scale faring better than those which…
April 23, 2020
COVID-19: Melatonin as a potential adjuvant treatment
Zhang et al speculate on the likely benefits of melatonin in the attenuation of COVID-19 based on its putative pathogenesis. Although the direct evidence of melatonin application in COVID-19 is unclear, both its use in experimental animal models and in studies on humans has continuously documented its efficacy and safety, and its role in limiting…
Is there evidence that BCG vaccination has non-specific protective effects for COVID 19 infections or is it an illusion created by lack of testing?
Shivendu et al analyze data from on COVID-19 and BCG vaccination from 98 countries, finding that COVID-19 cases deaths across countries share a relationship with national BCG vaccination, but that this relationship is nullified when controlling for testing. This study concludes that there is no statistical evidence to support the assertion that inclusion of BCG…
Evaluation of the auxiliary diagnostic value of antibody assays for the detection of novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)
Yong et al assess the diagnostic values of different methods for detecting and estimating the SARS-CoV-2 infection of antibody assays in this study. Their findings suggest that antibody detection can be an effective supplementary indicator in diagnosing suspected cases with no detectable viral RNA, and in conjunction with nucleic acid detection in confirming the infection. …
Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA by direct RT-qPCR on nasopharyngeal specimens without extraction of viral RNA.
In order to circumvent the limited availability of RNA extraction reagents and to reduce the cost and turn-around time of the assay, the authors describe a new protocol for direct RT-qPCR to detect SARS-CoV-2 in nasopharyngeal swabs. The new approach provides higher analytic sensitivity for detection than many other commercial and laboratory-developed methods, and the…
April 22, 2020
Depriving iron supply to the virus represents a promising adjuvant therapeutic against viral survival
Iron-containing enzymes are required for viruses, most likely including coronaviruses, to complete their replication process. Liu et al suggest that; even though little is known about iron regulation in COVID-19 patients thus far, it could be deduced from other viral infections that using either iron chelators or key iron regulators might be an alternative beneficial…
Saliva as a non-invasive specimen for detection of SARS-CoV-2
Williams et al investigated the feasibility and utility of saliva as a non-invasive diagnostic specimen for COVID-19 screening in a clinic in Melbourne, Australia. Overall 84.6% of the positive RT PCR patients had SARS-CoV-2 detected in their saliva, while 2% of PCR-negative patients were positive. They argue that use of saliva reduces risk to healthcare…
Glucocorticoids for COVID-19 effectiveness and safety of glucocorticoids to treat COVID-19: A rapid review and meta-analysis
This meta-analyses of 22 studies evaluated the effectiveness and safety of glucocorticoids in children and adults with COVID-19, SARS and MERS. Lu et al report that, in adults with COVID-19 or SARS, systemic glucocorticoid use did not reduce mortality, duration of lung inflammation but had a significant reduction in the duration of fever. They warn…
April 21, 2020
Serological tests facilitate identification of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection in Wuhan, China
The authors report positive rates of COVID-19 tests based on nucleic acid testing, chest CT, and serological antibody tests in Wuhan, observing a 10% SARS-CoV-2 specific IgG positive rate from 1,402 tests. Combination of nucleic acid and serological testing might facilitate the detection of COVID-19 infection. Wu et al. (April 20, 2020). Serological tests facilitate…
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